


Leave Out All the Rest

by whatsername263



Category: Timeless (TV 2016)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-20
Updated: 2019-01-20
Packaged: 2019-10-13 09:01:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,247
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17485181
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/whatsername263/pseuds/whatsername263
Summary: What if Wyatt was the one who died in Chinatown?Oneshot journey of the team rescuing Wyatt.





	Leave Out All the Rest

**Author's Note:**

> Got this idea while listening to "Leave Out All The Rest" by Linkin Park. Well, the idea for the first half anyway. Then it kind of kept going and morphed into this. I use some moments from the movie, including Flynn's letter -- with a bit of a twist.
> 
> DISCLAIMER: I don't own Timeless but damn does it apparently own me. Haven't fell for a fandom this hard in years.  
> (ALSO, un-beta'd -- so pardon any typos. I tried to catch them all but some always manage to slip by)

_When my time comes_  
_Forget the wrong that I've done_  
_Help me leave behind some reasons to be missed_  
_And don't resent me_  
_And when you're feeling empty_  
_Keep me in your memory_  
_Leave out all the rest_  
_Leave out all the rest_

 - “Leave Out All the Rest” by Linkin Park 

* * *

It really was like the movies, Rufus thought. He heard the shot and suddenly everything seemed to slow down. He heard Lucy scream Wyatt’s name, but it was somehow too late. The soldier was already dropping to the ground with an angry red bloom forming on his chest.

He was vaguely aware of Flynn stumbling off after Emma, Jiya on his heels with a pistol at the ready. Lucy crumbled to the ground, pulling Wyatt’s head into her lap. He was struggling to breathe, but his soldier instincts were in full force -- he was still trying to keep pressure on his chest. Rufus dropped to the ground beside them, moving Wyatt’s hand so he could maintain pressure on his chest.

“L-Luce …”

“No Wyatt,” the historian sobbed. “Save your strength. No goodbyes. You’re coming home with us.”

“S-sorry … everything … love … you …”

“Wyatt it’s okay,” Lucy she assured him through her tears. “No apologizing. You are coming home.”

“Hang on buddy,” Rufus finally spoke up, his voice shaking. “We’ll get you patched up -- just stay with us.”

“Rufus … keep ... safe…”

Rufus was ready to argue again but he could see Wyatt’s energy draining. No matter what he did the bleeding wouldn’t stop. He knew what Wyatt was asking and he wanted to make sure Wyatt knew he understood.

“I promise Wyatt. I’ll keep them safe.”

Wyatt gave a barely managed to nod, and Lucy sobbed even harder.

“No! No promises. Wyatt you’ll get through this. Wyatt-”

But he was gone before she could continue. His eyes closed and he almost looked peaceful. Rufus suddenly realized from all their missions he’d never really seen Wyatt truly sleep. He was always half awake, ready to protect them from whatever hell Flynn or Rittenhouse threw at them.

“Lucy,” Rufus almost reached out a hand to place on her shoulder, but he pulled it back to his side when he realized it was covered in blood. “I’m so sorry.”

She didn’t move. She was staring down at the man resting in her lap. Rufus realized it was probably shock -- tears were still streaming down here face, but she was so still he couldn’t even tell if she was breathing. She had a white-knuckle grip on Wyatt’s limp hand.

“Lucy I hate to ask but I need you to let go,” Rufus asked gently. “We need to move him away from here.”

“Tell me this is just a nightmare Rufus.”

She looked up and Rufus’ heart shattered. He’d never seen her look so defeated -- not even after her own mother had accused her of witchcraft. Then it hit him -- Lucy had lost two people on this trip, while he had gained one. He stood, a wave of guilt washing over him even though he knew she wouldn’t be thinking like that. She was never that person. Ignoring the blood on his hands he carefully pulled her to her feet and wrapped her in a hug.

“I would give anything to tell you this is a nightmare Lucy. I’m so, so sorry.”

That seemed to snap something inside her. She broke down, sobbing into his shoulder. Rufus wasn’t sure how long they stood like that but eventually he saw Flynn and Jiya returning. His co-pilot was limping and sporting a new black eye, while one of Flynn’s arms was cradled against his chest.

Jiya froze when she saw the two of them and Wyatt’s body on the ground. Tears formed in her own eyes and after a few heartbeats, she rushed forward. Rufus passed Lucy into Jiya’s arms. Given Flynn’s injury, there was no way he could carry Wyatt. Rufus managed to gather Wyatt into his arms and maneuver to the edge of town. He wasn’t sure what to do, but he couldn’t bring himself to ask Lucy. Flynn seemed to sense his dilemma and turned to the women.

“Lucy can you get Jiya back to the Lifeboat?”

She gave him a weak nod. Her cries had subsided and she just looked defeated. Jiya kept her arm around Lucy’s shoulders, but let the historian guide her in the direction of the Lifeboat.

“You know what we should do with him?” Rufus quirked an eyebrow at Flynn.

“You aren’t going to like it.”

“I don’t like anything about this damn situation. Why would this be any different?”

Flynn hesitated before explaining. There was no time to bury Wyatt, he said. It would be best to just leave his body behind so the police could find it. They’d never catch the killer, but the police would ensure Wyatt’s body was taken care of.

“What do we tell Lucy?” Rufus asked, as he laid his friend’s body on the ground.

“We don’t,” Flynn sighed. “She’s a historian. She can’t see it now, but somewhere in that brain of hers she knows this is what has to happen.” 

* * *

 Several hours later, Lucy found herself in Wyatt’s room -- one of his flannel shirts wrapped around her. She had remained silent during their quick debrief with Agent Christopher. Everybody was shaken by what happened, so she didn’t force them to relive it again right away.

Lucy ran her fingers along his bed, remembering the brief nap they’d shared upon returning from 1941. They hadn’t been ready to return to their friends just yet, and seeing as they hadn’t slept much the night before -- Wyatt had suggested a quick nap. The tiny cot was nowhere near as comfortable as the plush bed in Hedy Lamarr’s guest house -- but she didn’t care. Being in his arms had been all that mattered.

When she reached his bedside table, she noticed an envelope with her name on it. She reached out with trembling hands to pull a note from the envelope. When she saw what it was, her knees gave out and she crumbled to the ground, her back resting against Wyatt’s bed.

_Lucy,_

_I’m not good with words, so I figured I’d try and write it out. I am so incredibly sorry. Pretty sure there aren’t enough words to describe how sorry I am._

_I can’t shake this feeling that something bad will happen on this trip back to Chinatown, and if it does -- please know that I accept whatever happens. After the shit I’ve put everybody through I think I’ve earned whatever happens. I’ve hurt you and Rufus, and I’m the reason Jiya was kidnapped. I’ve probably hurt Flynn at some point, but forgive me if I’m not as sorry on that one. He did kidnap you and try to kill us more than once. (Lucy managed a watery smile at that)._

_I want you to know that I love you. I should have said it a lot sooner, and I’m sure Rufus will be more than happy to agree with me on that. He called me on it when we came to rescue you from France, but I refused to admit it._

_I love you and I’m sorry for what happened. I wanted to choose you. I swear to you, I wanted you. But I felt like I owed her something. I needed to know if that door was truly closed before I gave up._

_If I chicken out and don’t give you this letter, hopefully I have the balls to at least come talk to you. Or if I don’t come home and you find this, I’m sorry. After what I’ve put you through, I have no right to ask this: but if I’m not there, please don’t remember me like I was with Jessica. Remember me like I was in 1941 -- because that is truly me. I love you and that night was the happiest night of my life. If you decide I’m worthy of a place in your heart, make sure it’s that version of me._

_And because I know you -- please don’t do anything reckless. As much as it pains me to think about it, let Flynn keep you safe if this battle with Rittenhouse doesn’t end in Chinatown. Don’t do anything stupid and don’t get yourself hurt._

_I love you._

Lucy wasn’t sure how long she sat on the floor crying, but eventually she felt someone sit beside her. Rufus draped an arm over her shoulder and pulled her in for a hug. He held her until her sobs subsided.

“I’m so sorry Lucy,” he finally said.

“Not your fault,” she managed to say. She eyed the now tear-stained letter in her hands. “You should probably read this too. He wrote it to me but I’m sure he’d want you to know some of this too.”

“You sure? I’d understand if you want to keep that private.”

She assured him it was okay, and handed over the letter. He kept an arm around her shoulder as his eyes skimmed down the page.

“Yeah he definitely should have told you he loved you sooner,” Rufus smiled, tears forming in his eyes. “Did you know that idiot tried to force his way out of here with blow torch to find you.”

“Seriously?”

“Yeah he was going to cut right through the front door until Agent Christopher caught him. When that didn’t work he was going to walk right through the front door and take a court martial for it.”

“Reckless hot-head indeed,” Lucy grinned, wiping the tears from her cheeks.

Rufus looked like he was about to agree, but suddenly there was a distinct whoosh of air out in the hallway, followed by a loud metallic clank. They shared a confused glance before scrambling to their feet. Lucy was fairly sure she stopped breathing for a moment when she saw the second Lifeboat sitting next to theirs. It looked newer somehow -- like it had been upgraded.

“What the hell?”

“Is this another Lifeboat?”

“Conor what’s going on?”

“I have no idea.”

Lucy couldn’t speak, but her thoughts mirrored her friend’s confusion. They were all staring up at the upgraded Lifeboat when the door started to open. Flynn and Agent Christopher had their guns at the ready, but it turns out they weren’t necessary.

Rufus stepped out of the Lifeboat, followed by Lucy.

But … they looked older. Future Rufus had two guns tucked into his shoulder holsters. He wore an army T-shirt and a pair of camouflage pants that tucked into his military boots. Future Lucy had short hair, and was dressed almost identically -- but she wore a white tank top, with a shotgun slung over her shoulder. Present Lucy assumed the pack on her belt was loaded to the brim with ammo. The present Lucy and Rufus eyed their future selves in surprise, unsure of what to think of the sight.

“What are you guys waiting for?” Future Rufus asked.

“You guys want to get Wyatt back or what?” Future Lucy continued, her eyes sweeping over the confused group in front of them.

“It’s … not possible,” Connor was the first to find his voice, as the Future versions of Rufus and Lucy jumped out of the Lifeboat.

“It is possible and we don’t have much time,” Future Rufus informed him. “We aren’t immune to the side effects of time travel.”

“You’ll need this,” Future Lucy tossed her past self a worn leather bound book.

“The journal? Seriously?”

“Seriously,” Future Lucy nodded. “Read it through. You’ll know what needs done. Start with-”

She stopped suddenly, bringing a hand to grip the side of her head. She winced in pain.

“Lucy?” Future Rufus asked, his voice laced with worry.

“Side effects,” she answered through gritted teeth, turning toward the old Lifeboat. “Read the journal. Figure it out.”

“Take our Lifeboat,” Future Rufus said as he followed Lucy up the metal steps. “It’s easier to fly, and it has a few upgrades that will make tracking the Mothership a bit easier.”

Before any of the present group could argue, the door to their ship was opening and the Future duo disappeared inside. A few moments later, it disappeared with a rush of air.

“Lucy is that _the_ journal?” Rufus asked, eyeing the book.

“Yeah but … I thought this was locked up in evidence?”

“Apparently not in their timeline,” Jiya mumbled, staring at the upgraded ship.

“I must have gotten it back out for them?” Agent Christopher guessed.

“Or that Lucy is the one who wrote the journal,” Connor wondered aloud. Upon seeing the confused looks of the team, he continued: “Lucy always said she wouldn’t write the journal, right? She didn’t want to help Flynn murder through time.”

Flynn looked like he had a comment on that, but he kept it to himself as Connor continued.

“What if losing Wyatt is what leads her to write it?”

“What are you saying?” the historian in question asked.

“Lucy we know how much he meant to you,” Connor said gently. “And a damn blind man could see how much he loved you. If your future self found a way to save him, would that be enough to write this journal? Even though it’s what caused you so much pain to begin with?”

She nodded numbly, eyes downcast.

“Do you want one of us to sit with you for a bit?” Jiya asked.

“No,” Lucy answered quietly. “I need to do this on my own. I’ll let you know if I find anything.” 

* * *

 Rufus watched as Lucy disappeared down the hall, returning to Wyatt’s room.

“She going to be okay?” he asked to nobody in particular.

“It’s not an easy read, but she’s strong. She’ll get through it.”

Flynn’s comment sat in Rufus’ brain for a moment before he rounded on him.

“Did you know this would happen?”

“I would have shot Jessica weeks ago if I known this would happen,” Flynn glared at him. “Future Lucy didn’t write everything in that damn journal. She was purposely vague in some areas, for obvious reasons.”

“You think it was Jessica that killed Wyatt?”

“I saw what guns they were using. The bullet that hit Wyatt didn’t come from Emma’s gun, I know that much.”

“Why would she shoot him?” Jiya chimed in.

“Rittenhouse,” Agent Christopher answered. “If they’ve really been a part of her life for as long as we suspect -- she might have never even really loved him. It was all a ploy for this very reason.”

Rufus thought back over their first dozen missions together. When Wyatt had been obsessed with saving what he had thought was the love of his life. Jessica’s betrayal sparked a wave of anger inside him. Wyatt had finally moved on to find love with Lucy to have Jessica show up out of nowhere and ruin everything.

“We’re going to fix this,” Jiya gave his shoulder a comforting squeeze.

Rufus wrapped his arms around her and placed a kiss on her forehead. God he hoped she was right.

* * *

A whirlwind 24 hours later, Rufus was jolted awake by a nightmare. The dim glow of their campfire reminded him of where he was, bringing him back to reality.

They were in 1848 California. Rittenhouse had jumped, likely going after the gold that was just discovered near Sacramento. Rufus looked around to see Lucy and Jiya sleeping, but Flynn was awake -- skimming through the journal.

“What are you doing?” the pilot asked quietly.

“Seeing if Lucy missed anything,” Flynn’s eyes never left the page.

“Did she?”

“I think so,” he sighed.

“You going to elaborate on that or leave us in the dark?”

“If Jessica is eliminated from the timeline, this would have never happened.”

Rufus was quiet for a moment as he thought it out. Of course it made sense. If she was never brought into the bunker, Jiya wouldn’t have been kidnapped. No kidnapping meant no Chinatown, which meant no saloon shootout that kills Wyatt.

“So for him to live, she has to die?” Rufus asked. Flynn nodded. “So how do we do that?”

“ _ _We__  don’t do anything,” Flynn sighed, closing the book. “I do it.”

“What?”

“Did Lucy ever tell you how I got this book?” When Rufus shook his head, Flynn continued. “She came to visit me in a bar. Christmas Eve, 2014. She told me I’d have to sacrifice everything for a cause nobody believed in. She warned me that people would assume I’m a terrorist. I never truly knew what she meant until now. I didn’t realize it until recently -- but you and Wyatt were with her in that bar. So he does come back. But I don’t think I do.”

“Flynn …”

“It has to be me. It’ll take the four of you to stop Rittenhouse.”

“You knew all along?”

“She warned me that I wouldn’t get my family back,” Flynn’s voice cracked with sadness. “Of course I tried to change that, but she was right.”

Flynn carefully placed the journal beside Lucy’s sleeping form. He stood and made his way over to one of the horses.

“What am I supposed to tell them?”

Flynn untied his horse before answering. “Just tell them I rode ahead to scout our next rest stop. I left a letter for Lucy. It explains enough. I’m assuming you can keep them safe long enough for me to do this?”

Rufus nodded, unsure of what else to say. Part of him wanted to stop Flynn; despite their differences he’d grown to respect their former enemy. Even more so now that he knew Flynn had done all this knowing he’d never get his family back.

“Flynn,” Rufus stood to catch Flynn before he disappeared, he held out his hand. “Thank you. For everything.”

Flynn nodded, and shook the pilot’s hand. With that, he stalked off into the night. Rufus waited until he heard the thunder of running hooves before he settled back down beside Jiya. He didn’t bother trying to sleep. He was on watch now, and he likely couldn’t sleep if he tried. 

* * *

 The next day, Rufus was grumbling as he tried to untie himself.

“Stupid miners,” he grumbled as he struggled against his ties. “Stupid ropes. Stupid 1800s. This whole damn century sucks.”

“I won’t argue with you there,” Jiya mumbled. She’d given up on freeing herself and was resting against the wooden post she was tied to. “Where the hell is Flynn? He should be here by now.”

“No kidding,” Lucy agreed. “He said he rode ahead. Surely by now he knows we’re missing.”

Rufus kept quiet. He couldn’t bring himself to tell them what happened last night. He just needed to find a way out of here and get them back to the Lifeboat, provided Flynn managed to get it back to them.

Suddenly, they heard the sounds of a scuffle outside -- followed by gunshots.

“Sounds like Flynn found us,” Jiya chuckled.

For a brief moment, Rufus hoped Jiya’s guess was right. Maybe he’d managed to survive the side effects? Connor had said they affected everybody differently. But when the door to their makeshift prison burst open, it wasn’t Flynn.

It was Wyatt, looking more Texan than ever before in his cowboy gear. Rufus’ jaw hit the ground, mirroring Jiya’s shocked expression. Lucy looked like she was on the verge of tears, but she had a smile on her face.

“Leave you guys for five damn minutes and you get yourself captured,” Wyatt chuckled. “This is exactly why I didn’t want to split up.”

“You … you’re alive?” Rufus managed to say.

“It’ll take more than a few greedy gold miners to kill me,” the soldier grinned as he bent to cut Lucy free. Their shocked expressions finally seemed to make something click inside his brain. “Why do you all look like you’ve seen a ghost?”

“Because we’re looking at one,” Lucy choked out. The second her hands were free she threw herself at Wyatt, wrapping her arms tightly around him.

“Uh Luce?” Wyatt’s voice was hesitant, but his arms were around her waist the moment she wrapped him in an embrace. “Wait why are you crying? You guys were only gone for like an hour.”

“You were dead Wyatt,” she pulled back far enough to meet his eyes. “You got shot in Chinatown.”

“When the hell were we in Chinatown?”

“How is this possible?” Jiya wondered aloud.

“Flynn did it,” Rufus answered. He felt Lucy and Jiya’s eyes turn to him. “He actually did it.”

“What the hell are you guys talking about?” Wyatt reluctantly let go of Lucy to untie Jiya and Rufus.

“Flynn he … he fixed the timeline,” Rufus explained. He stood when he felt the rope fall from his wrist. “So … wait. Wyatt why are you here?”

“Emma jumped to the Gold Rush,” he explained, drifting back to Lucy’s side and wrapping an arm around her waist. “Figured she needed the money, since she killed Keenes and Lucy’s mom-” he stopped and shot her a worried look. “Sorry. Is that not what you guys remember?”

“Mom died in Chinatown,” Lucy explained.

“Again Chinatown,” Wyatt was really confused now. “What the hell is going on?”

“Okay let’s figure this out back at the Lifeboat,” Jiya suggested. “I feel like this is going to require more than a few minutes. And probably some alcohol.”

“Agreed,” Wyatt nodded. “Come on. Lifeboat is quite a few miles from here. I’m sure Zorro will lend us some horses.”

They rode back mostly in silence, each person trying to piece together what happened. Rufus noticed with a smile Wyatt was never more than an arm’s reach away from Lucy. Good. Hopefully whatever timeline he came from he had managed to get his shit together and tell her how he felt. It’s that train of thought that started the conversation when the arrived back at the surprisingly still upgraded Lifeboat.

“Wait why does that thing look different?” the solider asked.

“Wyatt -- you said you and Lucy were together, right?” Rufus asked, eyeing his two best friends.

“Yeah,” he shot the historian a hesitant look before continuing. “Since Hollywood. You know that. You walked in on us that morning.”

“Oh good to know my retinas were burned in your timeline too,” Rufus chuckled. “Thanks for that, by the way.”

“Hey your the one who didn’t knock-”

“Bypassing that little memory for now -- what mission did we go on after that?”

“Salem,” Wyatt answered. “After that we stopped Rittenhouse from going after Amelia Earhart-”

“What?” Lucy and Jiya cut in.

“Did you go to Salem?” Rufus continued, ignoring the girls’ shock.

“Of course! You think I’d let Flynn get in that thing with you?”

“So everything after Hollywood is different,” Rufus pieced together. “Of course. Because she never came to the bunker.”

“Who? Who never came to the bunker?”

“Jessica.”

Wyatt turned to Lucy, shocked by the pain in her voice. “What?”

“In our timeline Emma took a few trips while we were in 1941,” Lucy answered. “She changed something. She brought Jessica back. But we didn’t realize that until after you’d brought her to the bunker. She must have texted you or something. Right after Flynn was brought to the bunker, you took off. We had to go to Salem with Flynn, and when we got back Jessica was there. In the bunker, with you.” 

* * *

 Lucy watched Wyatt as her words sank in. She could see the exact moment guilt washed over him and she wished she could take it back. But there was no other way to explain what happened.

“Jessica was alive? But she was Rittenhouse?”

“Yes -- and then you died Wyatt,” Lucy said quietly, tears once again forming in her eyes. “You bled out from a gunshot wound. You died in my arms.”

Wyatt instantly pulled her into his arms; she tucked her head into the crook of his neck and let her tears flow. He rubbed comforting circles on her back.

“We’ll uh … we’ll just get the Lifeboat ready,” Rufus mumbled, pushing Jiya toward the Lifeboat. “Just let us know when you’re ready.”

“Lucy I’m so sorry I put you through that,” Wyatt said gently, kissing her temple. “And I’m sorry that I have to ask, but I need to know what happened. I can ask Rufus instead if you aren’t ready to talk about it.”

“No I’m fine,” she assured him, pulling back to meet his eye. He brought his hand to cup the side of her face, brushing her tears away with this thumb. “This isn’t going to be easy to hear.”

“I can handle it, I promise.”

“We realized Jessica was Rittenhouse, but you didn’t want to believe it. She … she claimed she was pregnant. We all kind of assumed she was lying, but we never found out for sure. She must’ve realized we were starting to figure out who she really was -- because she kidnapped Jiya. Took her to Rittenhouse.”

Lucy couldn’t bring herself to look him in the eye for the rest of the story. She rested her head against his shoulder, feeling how tense he had gotten. His hand that had been on her cheek moved to the back of her neck, holding her tightly against his chest.

“Rufus will have to explain the rest,” she sighed once she finished her story. “He must know what Flynn did to bring you back.”

“He took Jessica out of the timeline,” Wyatt answered. Lucy looked up at him, the realization finally clicking inside her head. “That’s the only thing that makes sense. I’d still be dead otherwise.”

“So he … he went back to his own timeline? He couldn’t have stayed for that long he would have died.”

“Yes.”

The pair looked up to see Rufus leaning against the side of the Lifeboat, Jiya standing beside him.

“Jessica is still dead in your timeline, I take it?” he asked; Wyatt only managed a nod. “Then he must’ve gone back to make sure that happened. He told me about how he got the journal. That you gave it to him, Lucy.”

“But I don’t remem-”

“You haven’t done it yet,” Rufus said gently. “Apparently the three of us go back. We have to make sure he gets the journal, so Wyatt doesn’t die. Because the four of us have to stop Rittenhouse.”

“So I take it Flynn won’t be at the bunker when we go back?” Wyatt sighed heavily.

“No,” Rufus answered, casting Lucy an apologetic glance. “He managed to get the Lifeboat back to us, but he isn’t here. He said he left you a letter Lucy. It should be in the journal.”

She reached into the bag she’d pulled of their horse to find the old book. Sure enough, there was a folded piece of paper with her name on it. She didn’t even realize her hand was shaking until Wyatt’s hand grasped hers.

“Luce? You don’t have to read it now if you don’t want to. You’ve clearly been through enough.”

“No we need to know what happened.”

She took a deep breath and unfolded the letter.

_My dear Lucy,_

_If you’re reading this, I guess I didn’t make it back. Maybe that’s for the best when you thin about what I’ve done in the past, to the team. To you. We both wanted to stop Rittenhouse, but somehow you didn’t let it destroy you the way I did. So if anyone’s expendable on this team, it’s me._

_Tell Wyatt he can thank me later. I have to admit, I don’t hate the guy. I regret the pain I caused you Lucy. And maybe by doing this, I can find a small way to make things right so you can have the future you deserve._

_I know with time, you’ll forgive Wyatt for what happened in your timeline. Because you love him and deep down you know he was just trying to do the right thing. I hope you get everything you want in life. I hope you can be happy._

_And one day I hope you get to have a family of your own. And I hope you get your sister back. There’s some things in the journal, I never could figure them out. But, it’s led us this far. One good thing in my life. The one thing I couldn’t hate after I lost my family._

_Never give up trying to save the world from Rittenhouse, and then maybe you can save the ones you love._

_Well. Guess I’ll see you Christmas Eve 2014. You know the place._

_All my love,_

_Flynn._

* * *

 Wyatt held Lucy as she read, trying not to read over her shoulder. But he couldn’t stop himself.

He wanted to go back to this other timeline and beat the shit out of his alternate self for causing Lucy this much pain. He’d really chosen Jessica? After all he and Lucy had been through?

It was clear from this letter Flynn had loved Lucy. Had they … ? No. She was here, in his arms now. She’d flung herself at him the moment her hands were untied earlier. But … Flynn?

No. Don’t go there now. His other self had clearly deserved that, if he’d really walked out on Lucy after 1941. And clearly she’d still had feelings for him, given what Flynn wrote. So maybe they didn’t?

“Lucy?” he asked quietly, once she’d had enough time to finish the letter. “You going to be okay?”

“Flynn … he knew this all along, didn’t he Rufus?” Lucy looked up at the lifeboat, where the two pilots were still standing in the open hatch.

Rufus nodded. “Apparently when you gave him the journal you warned him that he wouldn’t get his family back.”

“And he still did all this? He still saved me?”

“You were with her when she takes the journal back,” Rufus answered. “We both were.”

Nobody knew what to say after that. Wyatt suddenly felt guilty for all the bad things he’d said about Flynn over the last year. The man had lost his family, and he’d gone on this crazy mission knowing he wouldn’t get them back. Knowing the world would view him as a terrorist.

“Come on,” Wyatt urged Lucy gently. “Let’s get back to the bunker. Maybe Agent Christopher can figure out what happened to him.”

She nodded, and accepted Rufus’ hand to climb up into the Lifeboat. Rufus offered Wyatt a hand next and pulled him inside.

“Uh … woah,” Wyatt breathed, taking in the new Lifeboat. “Your future selves made some serious upgrades.”

“It’s even got auto pilot,” Rufus grinned as he started punching in their coordinates.

Lucy fumbled with her seat belt. Wyatt instinctively reached over to help, giving the belt a gently tug to make sure it was done properly.

“Hey,” he said gently, resting his hands on her knees. “Everything will be okay, I promise. We’ll figure out what happened.”

She only managed a nod. He offered her a hand, rubbing his thumb gently along the side of her hand when it slipped into his.

He didn’t know what else happened in her timeline. He didn’t even know if she truly trusted him right now. But he wasn’t going to walk out like the other version of himself did. He would show her that he was there for her, no matter what she needed. He had promised that she hadn’t lost him, and he wasn’t about to break that promise.

The Lifeboat landed in the present and the team stumbled out into the bunker. After a very confusing debrief with Agent Christopher, Lucy excused herself to go shower. Wyatt followed, stopping her when she reached for the door to her old room.

“Um … Luce? Your stuff isn’t in there. It’s in our room.”

“We were sharing a room?”

“Yeah,” he smiled sadly. “A couple days after 1941 we all got tired of trying to sneak into each others rooms. Rufus moved in with Jiya and you moved in with me.”

“I’m sorry Wyatt this must be so weird,” she mumbled, rubbing a hand across her face. “Having me here but not the me you remember.”

“Probably not as weird as seeing a future version of myself appear in the bunker,” he smirked as they made their way down the hall. “Take whatever time you need. I can sleep on the couch later tonight if it makes you more comfortable.”

He pushed open the door to their room, watching the surprise wash over her when she saw their room. The two beds were pushed together, and their belongings were mixed together everywhere. Their shoes lay side by side by the door while her books were scattered on the table beside his weapons. It really was _their_ space.

“Wyatt you don’t have to do that,” she assured him, still taking in her new room.

“You sure? I don’t mind.”

“It’s not like we haven’t shared a bed before moving here,” she pointed out.

“Yeah but-”

“And honestly I’d really rather not be alone tonight. And I think you and I should talk.”

Something in her voice kept him from arguing. He brushed a stray strand of hair from her eyes, letting his fingers linger on her cheek.

“Okay,” he leaned in to kiss her forehead. “We can talk more later. Go shower. I’ll see if Agent Christopher needs any help tracking down leads on Flynn.”

He pointed to the shelf where they had kept their shower stuff, and excused himself to rejoin the team in the silo.

“She doing okay?” Rufus asked when Wyatt sat beside him at the computer.

“Okay as she can be, I guess. This time travel shit is weird.”

“You don’t have to tell me twice,” Rufus smiled. “It’s good to have you back dude.”

“I’m sorry the other me was such an idiot. I can’t believe the pain I caused everybody.”

“Nobody is going to hold Jessica against you.”

The guys looked over to see Jiya stepping up onto the platform.

“You were put in an impossible situation,” she continued. “Your ex-wife literally came back from the dead. There is really no good way of handling that.”

“I could have not run out on everybody,” Wyatt pointed out. “I could have let her go the minute you guys figured out she was Rittenhouse.”

“Okay yeah there were some red flags,” Jiya smirked. “But I mean it -- nobody is going to hold that against you. Especially now since technically that didn’t really happen?”

“It happened to Lucy. It happened to the two of you.”

“Wyatt don’t beat yourself up over this,” Rufus urged his friend. “You’re back now. Focus on Lucy. You didn’t see her when you died. I’ve never seen her like that before. It was … it was bad, alright? So focus on being there for her now. Don’t worry about the past.”

Wyatt nodded, and took a deep breath. “So … Lucy didn’t realize it so I’m assuming you guys aren’t aware either: you share a room now. After Hollywood we all got sick of sneaking around -- and Rufus didn’t want to risk walking in on Lucy and I again-”

“With good reason.”

“Oh you didn’t see anything in ‘41. We were covered.”

“Still.”

“Whatever,” Wyatt smirked. “You two are in the girls’ old room. Lucy and I are in our old room. I’m assuming you two are okay with that?”

“I think we’ll be alright,” Jiya smiled. “Anything else we should know about this timeline?”

“Apparently there are some missions we should probably trade stories on, but we can do that later. I want to figure out what happened to Flynn first. Agent Christopher left to work on that, I take it?”

She would apparently be gone for the next few hours, so Wyatt ventured back to his room. He’d offered to give Jiya or Rufus the next shower, but they said he should go next so he could talk to Lucy before Agent Christopher returned. Lucy wasn’t back in their room just yet, so he gathered his shower things and a spare change of clothes to set aside.

He was in the process of removing a few of the outer layers of his western gear when Lucy returned. Wyatt smiled when he noticed she was wearing his clothes -- an old flannel and a pair of sweats. She was rubbing her damp hair in the towel, and her eyes were red. She had been crying again.

“Hey,” Wyatt said softly, pulling her into a hug. “You going to be okay?”

It was a dumb question, he knew it. After the last few weeks -- hell, the last 24 hours -- she’d lived through, there’s no way she was ‘okay.’

“Just tired,” she tried to assure him. “Go grab your shower. I’ll be fine.”

He reluctantly let go, urging her to get some sleep while he showered. She agreed, and crawled into their bed. Wyatt couldn’t stop himself from leaning down to press a kiss to her forehead. He was just pulling away when he felt her hand on his neck, pulling his lips to hers. He was so surprised he barely had time to kiss her back before she was pulling away.

“I can hear you internally beating yourself up,” she said quietly. “Stop it. We’ll talk more later I promise. But I’m not mad at you. Go shower, I’ll be here when you get back.”

Wyatt nodded and pressed one more kiss to her forehead before heading down the hall. He took his time in the shower, hoping she was actually getting some sleep. Eventually he couldn’t keep himself away, and ventured back back to their room -- stopping only to let Rufus know the showers were open.

He was relieved to see she was actually sleeping. He disposed of his clothes, tossing them in the laundry pile to deal with later. He carefully crawled into bed, sliding under the covers and wrapping his arm around Lucy, pulling her back gently against his chest. If she woke up, she was back asleep within seconds, her even breaths lulling Wyatt to sleep.

* * *

The pleasant feeling of fingers scraping through his hair pulled him back to reality some time later. He cracked open his eyes and brown met blue.

“Good morning,” he smiled.

“Evening,” she corrected, her hand drifting to his cheek. “We were only asleep for about an hour.”

Wyatt turned to kiss the palm of her hand. “Feeling any better?”

“Still kind of processing everything,” she sighed. “Two days ago you were with Jessica. And 24 hours ago you were dead.”

Wyatt grabbed her hand and moved it down to his chest, right against his heart.

“I’m right here Lucy,” he promised. “I’m alive. I love you and I’m not going anywhere. I wish I could take back what my other self did. He sounds like a real ass.”

Wyatt relaxed a little when she smiled. But he could practically see the gears turning in her head.

“Talk to me Lucy. Don’t get lost in that head of yours.”

“Before … before the other you died it sounded like he tried to tell me he loved me. You’d never said that to me before. Not in person, anyway. You must’ve known something bad was going to happen because you left me a letter. I found it after Chinatown. You said you loved me in that.”

“Lucy,” he pulled her tighter against him, dropping a soft kiss on her lips before continuing. “I’ve loved you since … well probably since Chicago. Losing you in that hotel … I was going crazy. I just didn’t want to admit it until we’d pulled you out of that weapons tent in World War I. Despite whatever the other dumbass version of me did -- I’ve loved you for a long time. No matter what timeline we’re in. That will never change. But given what you’ve been through with the other me -- don’t feel like you have to say it back. I understand. I’m not going anywhere, I promise you that.”

When the right response failed to come to mind, Lucy pulled Wyatt’s lips to hers. His arm around her waist tightened, while his other hand found its way into her hair. Her hands drifted around his neck, her fingers brushing through the hair at the base of his skull.

“I love you too,” she said quietly, pulling away just far enough to meet his eye. “I don’t know if the other me told you that. But I do. I love you.”

“She hadn’t,” Wyatt smiled. “I hadn’t said it either, actually. I’d been waiting for the right moment.”

Lucy smiled and snuggled closer, resting her head in the crook of her neck.

“I am sorry about what has happened over the last few weeks,” Wyatt said softly, his hand rubbing small circles on her lower back. “I would take it all back if I could.”

“The thing is … Flynn already did,” Lucy sighed. “He fixed the timeline. He went back and undid whatever Emma had done to turn Jessica into Rittenhouse. So she never betrayed you. You never had to choose. We can just … move forward.”

“Gotta say … never would have pegged Flynn as the noble hero. I owe him my life. I wish there was something I could do for him.”

“There is something we can do. When this whole crazy mission is over -- we can talk to Agent Christopher. Maybe she can help us clear his name -- make it say that he died serving his country, not betraying it.”

“That is something we can definitely do,” Wyatt smiled, pulling Lucy in for another kiss. “One problem at a time. Let’s figure out what happened to him when he went back, and we’ll go from there.”

“Thank you Wyatt,” Lucy’s hand returned to his cheek, her thumb gently stroking his jawline. “For everything.”

“No problem ma’am,” he smiled before sitting up. “Come on. Let’s go check on the others.”

Lucy nodded, and stepped into her slippers. Before she could move toward the door Wyatt tugged her into his arms, his hands on either side of her face as his lips found hers in a heated kiss. He only pulled away when oxygen demanded it.

“Sorry,” he smirked, still a bit breathless. “You have a certain effect on me. Can’t seem to keep my hands off you.”

“Come on soldier,” Lucy smiled. “You’ve got some missions to tell us about. Apparently we met Amelia Earhart?”

“Well we never actually met her,” Wyatt said as they headed down the hall. “Just stopped Emma and her goons from grounding her flight. She still vanished without a trace, unfortunately.”

“Either way, it sounds like we need story time. Rufus will be glad to brag about how we got to see you nerd out in the 50’s.”

“I missed a trip to the 50’s?!”

“Not just the 50’s,” Rufus chimed in as they reached the living area. Jiya was curled up beside him on the sofa. “The Darlington 500. You went full NASCAR nerd on us. It was great.”

Wyatt groaned in embarrassment as he settled onto the opposite sofa with Lucy. He didn’t mind the teasing so long as the team was whole.

He’d never really liked Flynn, but given what the man had done for him he had a new respect for him. Flynn had made sure the team was together, while Wyatt had apparently had his head in other places. The least he could do was make sure he died in honor. And he planned to do just that.

**END.**

**Author's Note:**

> I am a super Lyatt shipper, but I love Flynn and I'd like to think they tried to clear his name after everything that happened. He more than earned it, I think.
> 
> Anywho, thanks for reading my ramblings. Have a good day!


End file.
